Nonetheless, for the basis of the human treatment in clinical microbiology, it is fundamental to group bacteria according to their vulnerability to specific drugs as it enhances the ease of management of an illness. Therefore classification is critical in the enhancement of human treatment.
Full Answer
What is the purpose of classification of bacteria?
Bacteria are classified and identified to distinguish among strains and to group them by criteria of interest to microbiologists and other scientists. Nomenclature Bacteria are named so that investigators can define and discuss them without the necessity of listing their characteristics.
What is medical bacteriology and why is it important?
Essentially, medical bacteriology is a branch of bacteriology that gives focus to disease-causing bacteria in human beings. It entails the detection and identification of various bacterial pathogens and the mechanism through which they cause various diseases.
How are bacteria classified based on their morphology?
With regards to morphology, bacteria are classified into three major categories including Cocci (spherical in shape), Bacilli (rod-shaped), Spiral, and Vibrio which is comma-shaped. This system of classification makes it easier to identify bacteria based on their general appearance (shape).
What is the best approach to bacterial taxonomy?
In practice, the approach to bacterial taxonomy should be polyphasic (Fig. 3-3). The first step is phenotypic grouping of strains by morphological, biochemical and any other characteristics of interest.
Why is classification of bacteria important in medicine?
Doctors classify bacterial infections based on the various ways they classify the bacteria. For example, infections may be classified as caused by gram-negative or by gram-positive bacteria. This distinction is important because treatment of the two types may require different types of antibiotics.
How can bacteria be used to treat human diseases?
Gut bacteria have been altered to produce therapeutic molecules to treat metabolic conditions, kill pathogens and trigger immune responses to cancers. A strain of Escherichia coli engineered to produce the proteins needed to correct rare metabolic deficiencies is now in clinical trials.
What is the role of bacteria in disease?
Bacteria cause disease by secreting or excreting toxins (as in botulism), by producing toxins internally, which are released when the bacteria disintegrate (as in typhoid), or by inducing sensitivity to their antigenic properties (as in tuberculosis).
What is the role of bacteria in antibiotics?
Antibiotics commonly are produced by soil microorganisms and probably represent a means by which organisms in a complex environment, such as soil, control the growth of competing microorganisms. Microorganisms that produce antibiotics useful in preventing or treating disease include the bacteria and the fungi.
Can we use bacteria to improve health?
A plant-based diet can improve health and prevent disease by feeding the good bacteria in your digestive tract. Trillions of bacteria live in your digestive tract and play an important role in health.
Why is the study of bacteria important?
They have made possible our understanding, at the molecular level, of hundreds of disease-relevant proteins that in turn has enabled rational drug design to improve human health.